I read this for #womenintranslation for #WITMonth ! The atmospheric writing is a surreal, quiet and haunting. The Memory Police rounds up everyone who have not lost their memories, the rest of the inhabitants and the main character lose their memories slowly. Eventually, the people start losing themselves body part by body part…. Until there’s nothing left.

Memory has many intricate layers. When you think of an object, more layers can be peeled away with the thoughts that it conjures. When you pick up an item, a rush of times it was used, or who has given it to you or other memories arises. This is what happens when you’ve had a severe traumatic brain injury, dementia or stroke or psychological illness. As a physician, I’ve had many patients who lose the ability to physically use their limbs or have neglect where they are unable to be aware of items to one side of space. Sometimes they pick up items like a toothbrush and try to brush their hair with it. Or use a pen to comb their hair. They forget what these items are for. Sometimes they have somatoparaphrenia in which they don’t know that the arm attached to them is theirs. This is what happens to the inhabitants of this island. The people become “hallowed out” and they fade as people. Maybe that’s how people feel when they have had these types of injuries to their brain.

I find the ending sad, discouraging and feels like someone dying quietly without a fight… In today’s world, we hope that we can retrain our brains to accommodate and rewire to be able to adapt and function again. I would hope this dystopian does not relate to our real life.